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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Heather Thurmeier's Gonna Make You Laugh...

I'm so excited to welcome Heather Thurmeier to the blog today to celebrate her debut release!

Before you start reading, settle in with your favorite cup of coffee. Just, maybe, don't take a drink quite yet... Take it away, Heather!

First I just want to say a super quick thank you to Laura for having me on her blog today!

LOVE AND LATTES is set in a bookstore, and I can’t think of anything that goes with reading and writing better than coffee. There’s something so soothing about a hot coffee first thing in the morning. Even just the scent of coffee is enough to open my eyes and get me going. After I drop the kids at school, I brew my fresh cup of “favorite du jour” in my Keurig—best thing eva!—then I cuddle up on the couch and get to work. I can’t think of a single thing that would keep me from my morning coffee…

Unless that coffee came from an animal’s butt.

Oh, yes. It’s true.

Kopi Luwak is a coffee that is actually harvested from the feces of the Asian Palm Civet (a rat-looking thing) most commonly on the island of Sumatra. Apparently the little animals eat the coffee berries, digest them, and deposit them. Then the deposits are collected—Eww, eww, eww—washed (thank God!), sun-dried and roasted—kill those germs!—then brewed.

Really?

Regular coffee isn’t good enough for people? We have to go and collect it from poop.

From. Poop.

I rest my case.

They say this fancy poop coffee is less bitter, more aromatic and has more free amino acids because of the digestion process of the Civet. It’s also the most expensive coffee in the world… We’re talking hundreds of dollars per pound!!

So, an animal poops out my coffee and then I have to pay out the ass for it too?

Chase gave up hope of ever finding someone interested in more than his wealth--then he met Julia. She could be the one to tame his player ways, but can their love survive once he becomes her new boss?

Chase has given up hope of ever finding a woman who wants something more than just his family name. Julia is funny, incredibly sexy, and finally, after two years of playing the field, Chase gets a chance to date a girl who's interested in him, not his status.

Julia can’t forget the night of passion she spent with Chase after dancing at the club. When she runs into him on her first day at a new job, she's thrilled to see him again--until she learns he's her new boss.

Julia doesn’t know what to think when she's threatened to stay away from Chase and then overhears gossips painting him as a player and Julia as his new toy. Should Julia heed the threats and gossip or is a chance to fall in love worth the risk?

LOVE AND LATTES Excerpt:

Elbowing her way through the crowd, Julia Walker finally reached the bar and attempted to flag down a bartender. She wiggled her fingers at the one nearest her as he walked by. Of course, he stopped at a woman further down and leaned across the bar to hear her order. As far as she could see, other people seemed to be trying the same tactic as her own. If the drinks lining the edge of the bar were any indication, all of them had apparently been more successful than she had.

Sighing, Julia propped her head in her hand and resigned herself to the fact she wasn't likely to get a drink anytime soon. In a normal setting, people looked right through her. Why had she thought the bar would be any different?

Why is coming to the club fun?

Maybe if she was tall and blonde, with her breasts bursting out of her top like so many of the other women she saw around the bar, she'd stand a chance of being noticed. But, with her straight black hair falling slightly above her shoulders and a dress only providing a hint of what hid underneath, she simply couldn't compete.

She surveyed the dance floor from her position at the bar but couldn't make out her friend anywhere in the sea of people. Julia had never been to Oasis before, even though there were only three clubs in the neighborhood.

Her friend and roommate Tali had sworn she'd stay by her side so Julia wouldn't end up standing alone and bored the entire night. But where's Tali now? They'd gotten separated almost as soon as they'd entered the bar, with men naturally flocking to Tali's side, hoping for her attention.

The club was inside the gates of Meadow Ridge, so all the customers were either born and raised in the Meadow--which meant they were stinking rich--or they were students from the local university like she was--which meant they were dirt poor and barely scrimping by on meager student loans. Tali fell easily into the first group and Julia did not. Somehow, they'd remained friends regardless of the difference in their bank account balances.

Julia turned away from the dance floor and back to the bar. She needed a drink soon. She was already dehydrated from the hot, sweaty club and hadn't even danced yet. Sending her most award-winning smile directly at the bartender, she waved her hand again. He looked right past her to the girl in the see-through dress, which may as well have been non-existent for all the coverage the flimsy material provided.

A man in a dark blue button-up shirt suddenly blocked her view. "Hey," he said, smiling at her with perfect Hollywood teeth, bending down until his mouth brushed her earlobe. His warm breath caressed her delicate skin. "You look like you could use a drink. Can I get you one?"

You could get me more than a drink, I'm sure.

He must have been about six feet tall, with the most gorgeous sandy-brown hair. His features were sharp and defined with a strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones. Even though she could tell he was only a couple of years older than she was, he looked far too distinguished to be mingling in a club full of students and twenty-something singles. The warmth of his breath at her neck sent a tingle along her flesh.

"You can try." She finally found her voice enough to answer him. "I haven't had much luck yet."

"What'll you have?"

"A Cosmo."

He leaned across the bar and instantly a bartender wandered over to take his order.

How'd he do that?

She couldn't hear his words over the sounds of music pounding through the club, but moments later a frosty martini glass filled with bright pink liquid was at her lips. The tart cranberry instantly quenched her thirst as the heat of the liquor quieted the butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks," she shouted, hoping he could hear her over the noise. She reached into the small clutch she'd brought filled with essentials and pulled out a couple of neatly folded bills. Before she could offer them to him, he put his hand on hers, shaking his head.

She should have insisted on paying. She wanted to pay. But the moment his hand touched hers, every thought she'd ever had vanished. The only thing she could focus on was the heat of his touch. His hand lingered on hers and she would swear she could feel actual sparks firing against her skin. Does that really happen to people?

She'd read plenty of romance novels that talked about the chemistry--the spark between two people--but she'd always thought an actual spark sounded a bit farfetched. Stuff like that didn't happen in real life, did it?

Her eyes sought his, finding the most interesting kaleidoscope of colors she'd ever seen. Flecks of blue, brown, and green intermingled to create eyes she wanted to stare at forever. "The next one's on me."

"There'll be another?" He gave her a teasing grin.

Oh, damn. She began to sweat and wondered if her assumption about another drink had been completely wrong. When he'd bought her this drink, he was probably just trying to be nice to the poor, thirsty girl at the bar. He most likely had a girlfriend somewhere in the club waiting for him right now and wondering where he was.

"No, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to repay you for this drink since you were so nice to buy me one. That's all. I'm sure you have someone else to buy you the next drink, so you won't need me too. Of course it's not like you need anyone to buy you a drink, I'm sure you can afford to buy your own drinks--" She shook her head and sighed under her breath. Damn it. At the ripe old age of twenty-two, she still couldn't speak to men without getting flustered.

His grin spread across his face and she thought she heard a small chuckle escape his lips, but it was impossible to know for sure over the dance music relentlessly thumping through the speakers. "On second thought, I'd love it if you'd buy the next round."

Enjoyed the excerpt, the blurb, and it was cool to see your face finally. But thanks a BUNCH for the story about the coffee from animal innards! Yuck! I'll not likely remove that image from my brain for a long time. LOL

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